Empire Asset Finance

What Empire Asset Finance does

Empire Asset Finance, LLC is a private credit direct lender founded in September 2025 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arena Investors, LP, a $4.6 billion global multi-strategy institutional asset manager. The company provides tailored equipment financing and leasing solutions to capital-intensive businesses across the U.S. and Canada, with typical transaction sizes ranging from $3 million to $50 million and terms of up to seven years. It serves middle-market companies, including private equity-backed, non-sponsored private, and publicly traded entities, across verticals such as construction, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, transportation, IT, warehousing, and mining.

The company's product platform spans Equipment Secured Loans, Fair Market Value (FMV) Leases, Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs), Equipment Lines of Credit, Capital Leases, Operating Leases, Sale-Leaseback Solutions, and First Amendment Leases. It also offers capital markets services, acting as a buy-side purchaser of syndicated equipment finance deals and portfolios and as a sell-side syndicator and portfolio seller to peer institutions. The company does not disclose any proprietary technology platform; its delivery model is built on relationship-driven direct origination led by VP-level professionals rather than technology automation.

Empire generates revenue through interest income and transaction fees on equipment financing arrangements. Its go-to-market is sales-led and primarily direct-to-borrower, supplemented by private equity sponsor referrals, capital markets counterparty relationships, industry networking, and a corporate website. The leadership team is led by CEO Rick Rockhold (35+ years of equipment finance experience; previously scaled >$2.5B cumulative volume at Wingspire Equipment Finance) and COO/Chief Credit Officer Mike Miroshnikov (20+ years, co-founder of multiple equipment finance platforms), supported by an Arena Investors Investment Committee. The company is headquartered at 405 Lexington Avenue, 59th Floor, New York, NY, and operates with a headcount of 1–10 employees.

Name

Empire Asset Finance

Legal name

Empire Asset Finance, LLC

Website

https://empireassetfinance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Empire Asset Finance is a private credit direct lender providing equipment financing and leasing solutions — including loans, capital and operating leases, EFAs, and sale-leasebacks — to middle-market companies in the U.S. and Canada with typical deal sizes of $3M–$50M, operating as a subsidiary of Arena Investors, LP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equipment Financing

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Finance Lessors (6172)

akta.pro primary industry

SME Equipment & Asset Finance (Leasing, Fleet, Capex) (FSABABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Large-Cap / Sponsor Finance Direct Lending (FSANADAJ)

Keywords

• Equipment financing
• Equipment leasing
• Sale-leaseback solutions
• Private credit lending
• Capital lease financing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Financing Interest and Fees: Empire generates revenue through interest income and fees on equipment financing transactions. The company provides capital leases, operating leases, and loans for equipment acquisitions and sale-leaseback transactions in the $3-$50 million range.
2. Capital Lease and Loan Products: Revenue derived from structuring and servicing capital leases and loans secured by equipment. These are tailored financing arrangements for middle-market companies with typical deal sizes of $3 million to $50 million.
3. Operating Lease and EFA Products: Revenue from operating leases and Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs), providing flexible financing structures for capital-intensive businesses across diverse industries.
4. Buy-Side and Sell-Side Transaction Fees: Empire earns fees as an active buy-side partner (purchasing syndicated equipment finance deals and portfolios) and sell-side partner (syndicating transactions to peer institutions and managing exposure through portfolio sales).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Empire Asset Finance is a private credit direct lender providing tailored equipment financing solutions to capital-intensive, middle-market businesses in the U.S. and Canada. The company structures capital leases, operating leases, equipment-secured loans, and Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs) typically ranging from $3 million to $50 million per transaction, and supplements these offerings with buy-side and sell-side capital markets services for syndicated equipment finance deals.

Product overview

Empire Asset Finance is a private credit direct lender providing tailored equipment financing solutions to capital-intensive businesses across North America. As a subsidiary of Arena Investors LP, the company operates as a unified platform offering Equipment Secured Loans, Fair Market Value (FMV) Leases, Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs), and Equipment Lines of Credit. These core financing products are supplemented by Capital Markets services (buy-side and sell-side activities), all targeting middle-market companies with transaction sizes typically ranging from $3 million to $50 million. The platform supports various financing structures including capital leases, operating leases, sale-leaseback solutions, and first amendment leases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equipment Secured Loans Direct lending solution where equipment serves as collateral, providing capital for acquisitions and operations with structured repayment terms for middle-market companies.
• Fair Market Value (FMV) Leases Operating lease structure where lessees make periodic payments with flexibility to purchase, return, or renew the equipment at fair market value at lease end.
• Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs) Customized financing arrangements tailored to specific equipment needs and designed for complex transaction structures for capital-intensive businesses.
• Equipment Lines of Credit Revolving credit facility secured by equipment assets, providing ongoing access to capital for qualified middle-market borrowers.
• Capital Leases Lease arrangement where ownership transfers to lessee at the end of term, typically with a bargain purchase option.
• Operating Leases Off-balance-sheet lease arrangement where equipment returns to the lessor at end of term.
• Sale-Leaseback Solutions Transaction structure enabling companies to sell existing equipment and lease it back, unlocking liquidity from owned assets for capital-intensive businesses.
• First Amendment Leases Modified lease agreements allowing amendments to existing terms for restructured financing on existing equipment finance transactions.
• Buy-Side Capital Markets Services Trusted buyer of syndicated equipment finance deals and portfolios for peer institutions, delivering speed, certainty, and efficiency in closings, including syndicated $3MM+ equipment finance transactions and whole portfolio acquisitions.
• Sell-Side Capital Markets Services Transaction syndication to peer institutions and selective portfolio sales to manage concentration and exposure while balancing risk and providing opportunities to counterparties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered billions of dollars of liquidity across hundreds of transactions
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SLR Equipment Finance: Middle-market equipment finance platform offering capital and operating leases, loans, and sale-leasebacks to PE-backed and non-sponsored businesses. Directly comparable in transaction size, customer base, and direct-origination model.
• Wingspire Equipment Finance: A Blue Owl Capital portfolio company providing middle-market equipment financing and leasing. Most direct comparable given Empire CEO Rick Rockhold previously led Wingspire to >$2.5B in cumulative volume; same customer segment (middle-market, PE-backed), similar product set (capital leases, sale-leasebacks), and similar deal size range.
• Trinity Capital: Specialty finance company providing equipment financing, venture debt, and asset-based lending to growth-oriented middle-market companies. Comparable direct-lender model with sponsor-aligned origination focus and flexible structuring capabilities.
• Marlin Business Services: Specialty finance provider of equipment leasing and working capital solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. Adjacent comparator given similar equipment finance product offerings and middle-market customer focus.
• Nations Equipment Finance: Middle-market equipment finance company providing capital and operating leases, secured loans, and sale-leaseback solutions. Comparable deal-size range ($1M-$50M+) and customer segments (PE-backed, non-sponsored middle-market companies).
• Taycor Financial: Middle-market equipment financing specialist offering capital leases, operating leases, and sale-leasebacks. Comparable in customer segment (middle-market companies) and deal-size focus, though with somewhat broader small-ticket reach.
• First National Capital: Direct equipment finance lender to middle-market companies offering capital leases, operating leases, and equipment-secured loans. Overlapping vertical coverage and similar customer profile; relevant competitor for VP Aaron Gehlken's prior origination book.
• PEAC Solutions: National equipment finance platform providing capital leases, operating leases, and loans across diverse industries to middle-market and small-ticket customers. Overlapping product suite and vertical diversification make it a direct competitor for Empire's deal flow.

Broad incumbents

• CIT Group (First Citizens Bank): Equipment financing arm of First Citizens Bank, providing capital leases, loans, and asset-based financing to middle-market and large corporate clients. A scaled incumbent with institutional funding advantages that competes for similar PE-sponsored and corporate equipment financing deals.
• DLL Financial Solutions: Global vendor finance and equipment leasing subsidiary of Rabobank, operating across multiple asset categories and geographies. Larger and broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities in middle-market equipment finance, particularly through vendor and dealer channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empire-asset-finance-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empire Asset Finance